1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to medical devices for administering medications, vitamins, hormones, and other therapeutics that are administered via injection. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a programmable self-injector device.
2. Background
Modern patient care strives to place patients in more control of their health care. One movement, for example, seeks to give patients control over their health care data. For example, systems such as Microsoft HealthVault® and Google Health, among others, allow patients to store their health care records in patient-accessible electronic medical records. Thus, patients will have access to their health care records when they need them, such as when they change physicians.
In this same vein, it would be advantageous to allow patients to take more control over administration of their health care. Such self-administration would relieve patients from frequent and often inconvenient trips to health care service providers' offices. While most people can administer medications, in oral form, such as liquids, pills, capsules, and tablets with little difficulty, the same is not generally true of medicinal administrations requiring injections. Whether fear of needles or insecurity in drawing required dosages or proper injection technique, most people are not comfortable administering medications requiring injections to themselves.
For example, in the typical clinical setting, therapeutic injectants delivered via intra-muscular, subcutaneous, and other site injections is extremely commonplace to treat numerous diseases, including diabetes, hormone deficiency, and obesity. Typically, these injection-based therapies require administration in regulated dosages. In some cases, not only must the dosages be regulated, but the timetables for administering the therapy can be quite complex. Thus, patient self-injection presents myriad problems in a clinical setting. If left responsible for his or her own injection, a patient may not adhere to a prescribed timetable, or may forget the injection entirely. Even where the patient remembers to inject himself or herself, the patient may administer either too high a dosage or too low a dosage.
Not only are there patient-centric concerns, but many physicians are reluctant to allow patients to administer their own medications or other therapeutic injectants via injection because there is no viable way to monitor patient compliance with prescribed dosages and timetables. In essence, the physician does not know whether the patient administered the correct dosage or took the medication at all. As a result, all but the most trivial therapies fall outside the realm of patient self-injection.
In summary then, at least two issues obstruct widespread implementation of patient self-injection for treatment of advanced diseases: (1) Correct regulation of the amount (dose) of injectable medicine; and (2) ensuring compliance with the timetable for the injection as prescribed by the physician.